Kings County will finally get its own throne.
Six months after installing the city’s first automatic public toilet in Manhattan, the city announced last week that Bay Ridge’s 69th Street pier — a popular gathering place for all but those needing a restroom — would get one of the fancy, self-cleaning outhouses.
How big a deal is this? Councilman Vince Gentile (D–Bay Ridge) put out a press release heralding the news.
“This facility will serve to accommodate the many people who regularly come to the Veterans Memorial Pier,” he said.
The installation of the next four toilets — two in Brooklyn, two in Queens — is part of the city’s much-larger, 20-year “coordinated street furniture” contract with Cemusa, a maker of bus shelters, newsstands and, yes, toilets.
The largest part of the $1.4-billion contract consists of the 3,300 new bus shelters citywide — but the toilet is, believe it or not, the sexiest part of the deal.
“Restrooms are an essential part of a livable city and we will not ‘stall’ until we have world-class amenities and public spaces in New York,” said Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan.
Eventually, Sadik-Khan said, there will be 20 toilets spread across the five boroughs.
Users pay 25 cents to access the facilities, which go out of service for 90 seconds after each use for self-cleaning.
Gentile said he was especially pleased with the site selection because he has long envisioned restored ferry service to the 69th Street pier.
“Once faced with hundreds of daily riders, this would be a key location for a restroom,” he said.
The other Brooklyn toilet will be at the corner of Marcus Garvey Boulevard and Broadway in Bushwick.
